Positive influences

SoVaNow.com / January 17, 2013

Dear Viewpoint:

Holiday Weekend – This coming weekend the Federal Government and the State of Virginia honor the memories of three great men. One unifying factor in their lives was the Christian faith. Robert E. Lee was an Episcopalian, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was a Presbyterian and Martin Luther King, a Baptist. They studied the Bible and tried to live their lives according to the “Golden Rule” and also carry out their duty to improve the lives of others. Galatians 3: 28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” and John 8:32 “Jesus said His disciples would know the truth and the truth would set them free.”

Robert E. Lee believed slavery was a necessary evil until slaves were educated and trained to support themselves and he allowed his wife to teach his inherited slaves to read. Thomas Jackson also taught slaves in Lexington, VA to read. Both of these men broke the laws in Virginia which prevented slaves from being educated. They believed that God created each individual and saw each person as important in the eyes of God. Robert E. Lee freed all of his inherited slaves in 1862, a time when the South was winning all the major battles of the Civil War.

Martin Luther King’s grandfather and father were both Christian ministers and Martin Luther King as a minister, changed American society by using his religious background and training to lead the Civil Rights Movement in this country.

Those who are critical of the Christian faith either deny or are uneducated as to the positive changes in the lives of those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

You can check out the positive influences of the Christian faith on the world, the U.S.A. and on individual lives on the internet or in the local library.